TL;DR – While it is always lovely to see Jack Black back in this role, unfortunately, the outing, while still fun, did not have the energy of the previous entries.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Kung Fu Panda 4 Review –

One of the joys you get is when you have a solid franchise that hits on every entry. A company that does that generally quite well is DreamWorks. Sure, not everything is a Shrek, and occasionally you get a Shrek 4, but they are always entertaining and occasionally you get a How to Train Your Dragon. In that space were the Kung Fu Panda films, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I was excited to see we were getting a new one, if only for Jack Black’s energy alone.   

So to set the scene, it has been some time since Po (Jack Black) took on the full mantle of Grand Master at the end of Kung Fu Panda 3, and he is now defending the Valley of Peace by himself as The Furious Five leave to follow personal missions. It is in this space that Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) informs Po that he must choose his new successor as Dragon Warrior. Po does not want to give up the mantle that he has worked so hard for and become the spiritual leader of the valley. However, when word gets to him that Tai Lung (Ian McShane) has returned and is causing havoc, Po knows an adventure when he hears it. Thankfully, Po has a new guide in Zhen (Awkwafina) to help him tackle the real threat, the sorceress Chameleon (Viola Davis).

To delve into this film, one must first acknowledge how good Jack Black is as Po. The way he explodes with energy while also having these quieter emotional moments creates a dynamic that just works. I also love how he riffs off all the other characters in the film. To add to this, Dustin Hoffman is great as the weary master, something I appreciate more as I get older. Viola Davis is revelling in her turn as the big-bad chewing every bit of scenery and almost stealing every scene she is in. The most surprising thing was how well James Hong and Bryan Cranston worked as a double act, which is the opposite energy that they had in the last film. Finally, Awkwafina is an excellent addition to this universe; she completely captures the energy of a fox who is also a thief.

Then there is the production side of things, which has always been one of the film’s highlights. Hans Zimmer and his team are back with a musical score that just pops and is full of charm. Then we have the amazing Juniper City, which is another new world to explore. You want to see what is down every ally, well given some of the denizens of the city, maybe not every ally. Then there is the action that has always been wonderful as the different martial art styles crash into each other. I really enjoyed the fight at the start between Po and the flying sting ray, which ended in a very Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves kind of way.

However, as I walked out of the film, I could not help but feel that for all its heights, it was missing the elements that make it a strong movie. Narratively, it felt like they were going for a soft-legacy film, which I am not against as a principle; see my love for Tron: Legacy. Nor is this a dig at the mentor-mentee relationship between Po and Zhen, which is one of the most vital elements of the film. But, the legacy aspect takes up so much of the story that they had to cut a lot of the elements that made these films special. The lack of The Furious Fiveand the energy they bring to the film is noticeable, especially when this felt more like a budgetary rather than a narrative choice. At the same time, it was great to see new characters brought to life by Awkwafina, Viola Davis, and Ke Huy Quan. There were missed opportunities to ground this film in what had come before with more than just bringing Ian McShane back, and there were many opportunities to do this. However, it is nice to see that Ian McShane is clearly having fun.         

In the end, do we recommend Kung Fu Panda 4? Well, yes, because for all its faults, it is still a fun ride. Jack Black is a riot on screen here, and I do hope we get more of it in the future. If you liked Kung Fu Panda 4, we would recommend to you The Bad Guys.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Kung Fu Panda 4?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Kung Fu Panda 4
Directed by – Mike Mitchell
Screenplay by – Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger & Darren Lemke
Based on – Kung Fu Panda by Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris, Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger
Music by – Hans Zimmer & Steve Mazzaro
Cinematography by – Joshua Gunther
Edited by – Christopher Knights
Production/Distribution Companies – DreamWorks Animation & Universal Pictures
Starring – Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane, Ke Huy Quan, Lori Tan Chinn & Ronny Chieng with Jimmy’ mrbeast’ Donaldson, James Murray, James Sie, Cedric Yarbrough, Vic Chao, Audrey Brooke, Gedde Watanabe, Karen Maruyama, Tom McGrath & Phil LaMarr          
Rating – Australia: PG; Canada: PG; Germany: 6; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: PG; United States: PG